Mattress-stitching mechanism



J. F. GAM.

MATTRESS STITCHING MEGHANISM Filed July v, '1921 s sheets-sheet 2 @y M M J. F. GAlL MATTRESS sTIToHIN'e MECHANIVSM Filed July v, 1921 3 sheets-sheet s Cab Patented Jan. 27, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. GAIL, OF EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO SIMMONS COMPANY, 0F KENOSI-IA, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

MATTRESS-STITCHING MECHANISM.

Application filed July 7, 1921. Serial No. 482,900.

To all 407mm it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN F. Garn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Evans ton, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mattress-Stitching Mechanism, of which the following is a specilication.

My invention relates to improvements in mattress stitching mechanism and relates more particularly to machines for inserting :individual twine loops into a mattress for binding together portions of the filling or ticking or both. The purpose of inserting said binding loops is to enable the mattress to maintain its proper shape.

My invention may be applied as an improvement on the general type of mattress tufting machine, such as is described in the United States patents to Thompson, et al., No. 819,954-, issued May 8th, 1906 and Mathewson, No. 1,193,708, issued August sth, 191e.

In operating upon mattresses with the machines of said prior patents,`the knot which unites the ends of the length of twine forming each individual twine loop remains at the bottom of the mattress after a complete cycle 'of operations of the tufting machine, and the short length of twine is left trailing` from said knot. Also in cutting off the twine above the loop after the cycle ol knot-tying yoperations has been coinpleted, there is a section of twine, corresponding in length with the depth of the loop, remaining` in the mattress. i

lThe principal object of my invention is to provide an improved process and apparatus for severing the twine adjacent the knot, thereby eliminating wastage of the length of twine otherwise remaining in the mattress, while incidentally drawing the knot back through the mattress filling and thereby7 burying or concealing the loose end of the knot inside the mattress.

This desirable result has been recognized in the art heretofore, as evidenced by U. S. Patents NOS. 1,211,924, 1,344,605 and 1,360,- 522. As Vin these three prior art patents my invention has to do with the pulling 'of the knot up into the mattress portion prior to the final severing of the twine loop from a continuous twine supply.

In describing my invention 'for the pui pose of securing a patent on the same, I

have illustrated it as applied to a Thompson mattresstufting machine equipped with the knot tying mechanism of Mathewson.

lIn the drawings, accompanying this apphcation,

l is a side elevation of a mattress tui'tlng machine equipped with my invention,

Fig. 2 is a front or end elevation of the needle bar carrier and associate parts,

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2,

F ig'. t is a section taken on the line Lil-4;

of Fig. 2,

Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line ot' Fig. 3,

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view showing certain parts yof the knot-tying mechanism 1n the position occupied shortly after the completion of the first down stroke of the needle,

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view showing the knot tying mechanism after the completion of the second down stroke of the needle.

Fig. 8 is a section through the :mattress portion showing the condition existing just after the commencement of the second upstroke of the needle, and Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8 showing the second upstroke of the needle completed and the twine readyr to be severed.

In applying my invention to the iflathewson machine, substantially no change is necessary in the existing parts of the ma chine, except that, as described in the .Patent No. 1,211,92a to Dillon, and lPatent No. 1,360,522 to Gwizdowski, the cam which controls the releasing 01"' the twine end after the knot has been Formed, is suitably modified to permit the .knot to be pulled up into the mattress upon the second upstroke ol" the needle. Inasniuch as such change can be made by any ordinary mechanic, l consider it unnecessary to describe such change in detail.

In the Dillon patent the inventor apparently attempts to pull the knot back into the illing through the agency of the last upstroke 'of the needle bar. This would necessitate the applying olf very heavy tension to the spool which carries the supply of twine, or to a tension device which is interposed in the run of twine between the needle bar and the spool. It is ot course necessary to impose such tension or drag on Vthe twine that the upward stroke of the Mathewson machine this paying out of the twine is partly effected on the first upstroke of the needle, after which the second downstroke of the vneedle effects a further paying out of twine, and there is also a certain length of twine paid out from the spool during the last upstroke of the needle.

vVith the heavy tension necessarily einployed for pulling the knot up `into the mattress after it has been tied, I find that it is an extremely diflicult matter to pay out twine satisfactorily during the second downstro-ke `of the needle. In this connection, it will be understood that in such payingv out process on the second dow-nstroke of the needle, the eye of the needle in effectoperates as a sheave, but as a very inefficient Hence, a terrific strain is imposed upon the length of twine extending from the gripper to the eye of the needle. This strain may, in certain instances, have the effect of actually severing that portion of the tick which is rlocated between the parallel branches'of the loop. In any case, it has a tendency to bend or distort the needle and interfere seriously with the proper operation of the knot-tying mechanism. Also it makes it necessary to secure an extremely powerful grip on the end of the twine. In View of the above, it will be understood that one of the objects of my invention is to overcome the diiiculties inherent in such a. device asis attempted to be described in the Dillon patent.

My invention contemplates the use of a twine supply tension arrangement for pulling up the knot into the mattress together with means for so controlling the paying out of the twine that it will not be necessary to pay out any substantial amount of twine from the supply during the second downstroke of the needle. I secure this result by developing slack or excess length in the run of twine during the lirst upstroke of the needle or before the needle commences 'its second downward movement. My preferred method of effecting this result is tomount a suitable slack developing means on the upper port-ion of the machine, and preferably operable by the upward movement of the needle bar.

In the drawings, represents the main frame of the machine which is equipped with the usual operating parts as disclosed in the Thompson and Mathe-wson patents.

11 represents the supply spool from which the twine is paid out from time to time through an adjustable tension devi@y 12. The run of twine intermediate the tension device 12 and needle 13 is carried through suitable eyes or guides 14 and 15 fixed in the upper portion of the needle bar 16. Between the guide 15 and the needle 13 the twine passes around a set of three rollers, 17, 18 and 19, the rollers 17 and 19 being stationarily mounted on a suitable. bracket 20 fixed to the front of the needle bar 16. The middle roller 18 is carried on the lower end 21 of a bell crank pivoted on ay pin 22 also secured in the face of the needle bur 16. The hea-d of saidv pivot 22 is equipped with a suitable spring washer 23 which exerts a slight friction or drag on. the pivotal movement of the bell crank.

The horizontal arm 2-1 of the bell crank is equipped with a. cam roller 25 which at certain times in the cycle is adapted to engage a cam 26 carried on the. lower end of a pendent swinging arm 27. Said arm 27 is pivoted on va pin 28 fixed in the front of the head 29 and is limited as to its outward swinging movement by a small stop which takes the form of a block. 30 seemed to the head as by a screw 31.

It will be understood that just prior to the first downward stroke of the needle, the bell crank will be in the full line posit-ion as shown in Fig. 2, but elevated so that the cam roller 25 is above the swing'ng cam 26. In view of the fact that the swinging cani can swing inwardly when it is engaged on its upper slope by the cam roller 25 as the needle bar descends, the e-aln 26 will swing inwardly and will drop back into its normal position shown in Fig. 2 after the cam roller 25 has wiped past the lower edge of saiid cam 26. Hence on the first downst-roke of the needle the bell crank will not rock on its pivot.

The first downstroke of the needle carries the end 32 of the twinethrough the mattress portion and the protrudingvend is grasped by a gripper diagrammatically indicated at 33 in Fig. 6'.' On. the first upst-roke the roller 25 engages the cam 26 and as the needle. bar rises, the bell crank will be thrown in the dotted line position shown' in Fig. 2 thereby developing a bight in the twine internuxliate the rollers 17 and 19. After the bell crank has been swung into the dotted line position and has thus developed slack or excess length in the run of twine extending between the needle and the tension device 12, the bell crank will be held in its said rocked position by the spring washer 23 thereby causing the twine to remain taut and preventing it from falling away from the rollers 17 and 1S. or becoming tangled.

Prior to the next downstroke of the needle, the needle bar is shogged or given an llo liu

outward moif'ement in its carriage 34 by reason of the fact that actuating links 35 and 36 are moved longitudinally relativeto each other. Said relative longitudinal movement causes a pair of cam slots 37 in the cam bar 38 to push out the cam pins 39 which are mounted on inwardly extending tongues 40 iixed to the rear face of the needle bar 16. Fig. 5 illustra-tes the position of said parts after the shogging action ol the needle bar prior to the second downstroke of the needle.

It will be observed that when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 5, the cam roller 25 has been moved outwardly into such position that during the next reciprocation of the needle bar the bell crank will pass by, and will not be actuated by, the

cam.

0n the second downsti'oke of the needle, in vie-w of the fact that the end of the twine is firmly grasped by the gripper 33 the twine will draw through the eye of the needle, and as the downstroke proceeds, the slack or excess length in the run of twine caused by the dotted line position of the bell crank will be gradually taken up, the bell crank rocking back to its iull line position, thereby eliminating the necessity of drawing off additional twine from spool 1l through the tension device l2.

lit the conclusion of the second downstroke, the knot-tying instrumentalities and the needle will be in the condition shown in Fig. i", and when the needle makes its final ascent the knot will be tightened as shown in Fig. 8. At about the time that the needle is in the position shown in Fig. 8 the gripper 33 releases its hold on the end 32 of the twine so that the knot may be pulled up into the filling of the mattress portion through the bottom tick 41. The knot is actually pulled up through the tick by the inal portion of the upstroke of the needle bar, in conjunction with the tension or drag imposed on the run of twine by tension device l2.

At, the conclusion oit the second upstroke when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 9, with the knot 42 and end 32 buried in the filling of the mattress, the twine is: severed by a swinging cutter diagrammatically shown at 43 in Fig. 9. The needle bar then shogs back into the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and the machine is in readiness for another cycle of' operations.

In order to prevent undue slackness or kinks from developing in the run of twine below the guide 15, I may provide a tension device 44, which may be adjusted to press lightly on the twine but at the same time impose no appreciable resistance during the paying out operation.

ln view of the fact that the described details of construction and operation are merely illustrative of a single application of my invention, the scope thereof should be determined by reference to the appended claims, said claims being construed as broadly as possible, consistent with the state of the art.

I claim as my invention:

1. The process of inserting individual twine loops in a mattress` for tying together spaced surfaces thereof, which consists in (a) thrusting the end of a continuous twine completely through a. portion of the mattress, (b) grasping the protruding end, (c) paying out twine to develop excess length in the run of twine intermediate its source and the end, (d) then, while arresting the paying out of the twine, thrusting an intermediate bight of the twine through the mattress portion at a point spaced from the first thrust, (e) knotting together the protruding parts of the end and bight to form a closed loop surrounding a portion of' the filling, pulling the knot into the filling, and (g) severing thetwine intermediate the knot and source.

2. The proces-s of inserting individual twine loops in a mattress, for tying together spaced surfaces thereof, which consists in (ai) thrusting the end of a continuous twine completely through a portion of the mattress, (b) grasping the protruding end, (c) paying out twine to develop excess length in the run of twine intermediate its source and the end, (d) then, while arresting the paying out of the twine, thrusting an intermediate bight of the twine through the mattress portion at a point spaced from the first thrust, (e) knotting together the protruding parts of the end and bight to form a closed loop surrounding a portion of the filling, (f) increasing the length of twine run between the source and the mattress portion and thereby pulling the knot into the filling, and (g) severing the twine intermediate the knot and source.

3. The process of inserting individual twine loops in a mattress, for tying together spaced surfaces thereof, which consists in (a) thrusting the end of' a continuous twine completely through a portion ofthe mattress, (b) grasping the protruding end, paying out suflicient twine from its source to form a complete loop, (d) then, while arresting the paying out of the twine thrusting an intermediate bight of' the twine through the mattress portion at a point spaced from the first thrust, (c) knotting together the protruding parts of the end and bight to form a closed loop surrounding a portion of the filling, (f) pulling the knot into the filling, and (g) severing the twine intermediate the knot and source.

4. In combination, a needle bar, a needle, a twine supply, means for applying tension to the twine, means for actuating the needle bar to cause the needle to make a pair of reciprocations in parallel spaced relation through a` portion of the mattress, and therebythrust through said mattress portion the end and an intermediate bight of the twine, mechanism cooperating With the needle for knotting togetherthe parts of the bi'ght and 'of the end protruding from the matt-res; portion on the side remote from the yneedle bar and mea-ns for developingsuflicient excess length in the run of twine :subsequent to the vfirst, thrust movement of the needle and prior ,to the seeond v thrust of, the; needle whereby the necessity of, drawing off twine through the tension device during the second reciprocation of the needle is substantially avoided. ,v

,5. In combination, anee'dle bar, a needle, a twine spool,:nieans orapplyingtension yto the twine, means for actuating the` needle bar to cause the needle to make a pair of reeiprocations i in parallel spaced relation through a portion of the mattress, and thereby thrust through said mattress ,portion the end and an intermediate bight ofthe twine, A.mechanism cooperating Withthe needle for knotting together the parts of the hight and of the end protrudingl from the mattress por- `tion on the side remote from the needle bar and, means, for, developing sufficient excess length inthernn oftwine subsequent to the first thrust movement of theA needle and prior to the second thrust of vthe needle Wherebythe ,necessity of drawing off twine through the tension device during the second reciprocation of therneedle is substantially avoide d, the arrangementubeing suoli that duringa portion of the final upstroke ofthe needle, the run of twine between the knotand the source willwbe tensioned sufficiently ,topull the knot into the interior of the mattress. J A I 6. In a machine of the class described, the combination of knotting mechanism, a needle adapted to make a pair of reciprocations through a mattress portion and cooperating With the lknotting mechanism to form a knotted twine loop surrounding a Aportion of the mattress filling and mechanism operatingonly 4during the rst upstroke of the needle for paying out substantially enough 1 twine to form a complete .tied loop.

JOHN F. GAIL. 

